Michael Bradley is in a pretty good place right now. He’s getting the credit he deserves for his solid U.S. National Team play, not to mention he lives in Italy … with his wife … who isn’t too bad on the eyes.

Watch as U.S. Soccer visits him and takes a look at his life off the field in Verona, Italy. Did we mention he’s there with his wife?

Everton has reached an agreement in principle to bring Landon Donovan back to the Club on a short-term loan from the LA Galaxy. He will be eligible to play as soon as January 4th and the loan lasts until February 25th.

Donovan told evertonfc.com:

“The opportunity to return to Everton and play for such a well-respected club and a manager that I hold in such high regard was something that was simply too good to pass up.”

Donovan enjoyed a very successful run with Everton over a similar period in 2010. Might this be a trial run to play in Europe permanently? Coming off of an MLS Cup victory and very successful season with the LA Galaxy, and with the likely departure of David Beckham, the timing could not be better for a move overseas. Donovan has little left to accomplish playing in the U.S; he has already clinched a position as a Top 3 leading goal scorer in MLS history to go along with his 4 MLS Cup championships.

As the all-time leading goal scorer in U.S. National Team history (46), the only accomplishment left on his plate is a U.S. World Cup victory. A long-term move to the Premier League would appear to be the best option for the U.S. star in preparation for what may be his final World Cup.

The U.S. soccer team will start its 2012 schedule with an exhibition Jan. 21 against Venezuela in Glendale, Ariz., then play in Panama four days later. The games announced Thursday are not on FIFA fixture dates, meaning the U.S. will field players from Major League Soccer and Scandinavian clubs on winter break. The team will prepare with a training camp, most likely in Arizona and Carson, Calif.

The U.S. will host a camp to bring in different players to fine-tune their skills and play together; the match at the end of camp will put an end to the training. The United States has not fared so well during the first few matches under manager Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure, however with the start of the new year, perhaps that will be different. Here’s what Klinsmann had to say:

“It’s very important that we start the year off in the right way with a good training camp and two challenging games,” said U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. “We are going to continue to increase the demands on the players and have them develop a better understanding of how we want to play. Venezuela has done well to start World Cup qualifying and they earned a big victory against Argentina. Panama is a team the players know well from the Gold Cup, and we think traveling to Central America before qualifying is important to give them a taste of what the environment will be like there.”

U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati named Jürgen Klinsmann as head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team today, making him the 35th coach in the history of the program.

“We are excited to have Jürgen as the head coach of our Men’s National Team,” said Gulati. “He is a highly accomplished player and coach with the experience and knowledge to advance the program. Jürgen has had success in many different areas of the game and we look forward to the leadership he will provide on and off the field.”

U.S. Soccer will hold a press conference in New York on Monday, Aug. 1, to formally introduce Klinsmann. Further details regarding the press conference will be released later today. Klinsmann’s first match in charge of the U.S. National Team will be against Mexico on Aug. 10 in Philadelphia.

“I am proud and honored to be named the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team,” said Klinsmann. “I would like to thank the U.S. Soccer Federation for the opportunity, and I’m excited about the challenge ahead. I am looking forward to bringing the team together for our upcoming match against Mexico and starting on the road toward qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.”

Klinsmann has been involved in soccer almost his entire life as a player, coach, television analyst and consultant. As a player, Klinsmann was one of the game’s premier forwards and enjoyed a 17-year career that included stints in four major European leagues for a number of clubs, including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, AS Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich. One of the most well-known international players of all-time, he earned 108 appearances for Germany and scored 47 goals while helping the team win the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy and the 1996 European Championship.

In July of 2004, Klinsmann was named manager of the German National Team. He guided Germany to a 20-8-6 record and a third place finish in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, earning him Coach of the Year honors in Germany. Despite stepping aside as Germany’s manager after the World Cup, he left a foundation for ongoing success, including the core of the German National Team coaching staff and players.

Two years later, Klinsmann took over the head coaching position at Bayern Munich. Under his guidance, Bayern reached the quarterfinal of the UEFA Champions League, losing to eventual champion Barcelona. Overall, his record with Bayern from 2008-09 in all competitions was 25-9-9.

U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati announced today that Bob Bradley has been relieved of his duties as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team.

“We want to thank Bob Bradley for his service and dedication to U.S. Soccer during the past five years,” said Gulati. “During his time as the head coach of our Men’s National Team he led the team to a number of accomplishments, but we felt now was the right time for us to make a change. It is always hard to make these decisions, especially when it involves someone we respect as much as Bob. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

This announcement comes after a meeting at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., between Gulati, Bradley and U.S. Soccer CEO Dan Flynn. U.S. Soccer will have a further announcement on Friday.